The other day we posted a homecoming video in which a soldier surprises his two young children, who were throwing out the first pitch at an Arizona Diamondbacks game, by being the mystery catcher. We said it was the best homecoming video we’ve seen in some time.

Well, consider it topped.

In the video below, 6-year-old Michael Cooney is well aware that his father, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooney, is returning home after a seven month deployment in Afghanistan. So it’s Michael, who suffers from cerebral palsy and couldn’t walk when he last saw his dad, who did the surprising.

‘We kept the fact that he could walk a secret the whole time his dad was gone,’ Jeremy’s wife Melissa Cooney explained.

According to Melissa, doctors had said Michael would never be able to walk or “do much of anything” — which surely made Michael’s careful steps especially sweet to his dad.

Part of what makes the video so touching is how long it takes for Michael to meet his father’s waiting embrace. If you didn’t well up as Michael bravely made his way across the gym, you should probably check yourself for a pulse.